Keeping Us On Our Toes

He was so cute when he arrived. A tiny little grey kitten who had been returned to the shelter because his new owners left him alone they day they got him, and he peed in a corner. Knowing that, as soon as he headed for a corner, I showed him a litter pan. We didn't have any trouble convincing him to use the pan after that.

He was a very normal little man, and although there weren't any real issues with him, he loved to nuzzle my neck, which Betty said was an unadoptable trait. I just couldn't discourage him from the habit, so we kept him. His previous owner's loss, our gain. But..... perhaps the previous owners weren't telling the truth about why they brought him back. Perhaps they knew he had another side. He wasn't just another cute kitty. He was Drew the Destructive.

As soon as he won our hearts, he began to get into mischief. If there was something new, he had to investigate no matter how much trouble it led to. Every bang, crash, or tinkle, had Drew behind it. At one point he leapt to the mantle, knocking a clock to the floor. When we got to him, he had both paws around a mirror that was hanging over the fireplace. I don't know if he wanted to check himself out, or pull it off the wall, but we weren't waiting to find out. I became good at repairing broken knick knacks, and filling holes, while Betty became adept at matching paint colours and doing touch ups.

One evening while having dinner I heard a kitten crying off in the distance. Instinct told me to follow the sound, and I wound up in the kitchen, astonished to find our fridge was meowing. Opening it, I discovered Drew looking up at me from the lower shelf. He must have hopped in when I'd had the door open a few minutes earlier. One would have thought that might cure some of his curiousity seeking ways, but no.

Our boy soon discovered the rafters in our enclosed porch. He did so by running up the side of a wicker book case. It was a bit unnerving at first, but we got used to him charging around the supporting 1"x 8"s at break neck speed. Soon he taught a few other cats how to do it. Unable to come down using the book case the way Drew did, Brighton would simply drop to a table with a very big bang. That had to hurt, so I wound up attaching some shelves at staggered heights on the far wall in an attempt to find him, and the others, a safer path. These were all immediately used for napping on instead.

When we bought a new entertainment unit, well, a picture says a thousand words doesn't it? Usually he preferred to find his way to the back of the tv and drop behind the unit. I would have to pull the tv to one side and hold it, while Betty hauled him out. This became a habit, and his timing was less than perfect - particularly when he started pulling out cables. I wound up installing small walls on either side of the tv so that we could watch our shows in peace. Not to be out smarted, he learned to open the glass doors that led to the lower shelves, and video machines. Now, instead of pulling out the tv, I was removing shelves full of electronics. Of course other cats started to follow his lead on this as well, and one day I found Squeak trapped inside with a bunch of cables wrapped around her. We now put the basket of cat toys in front of both doors to stop him.

Drew then taught Dartmouth how to jump on the fireplace insert, bounce to the mantel, and leap to the top of the unit. Dartmouth would then drop down behind the unit and we wound up hauling the tv out a number of times to retreive him. Fortunately winter arrived and the heat from the insert managed to dissuade both of them. Although we can't be sure what goes on at night, we don't think they go up there as much as they used to.

We always know when trouble is going to hit. Drew will come into the living room and start his "I'm bored" howl. The water spray bottle became my only weapon, and I had to use it so often that now simply shaking the bottle can stop him in his tracks. Most of the time anyway.

Ten years later we're thrilled that his curiousity has lessened somewhat. He still gets on top of the fridge in the kitchen and bats at passing heads, but he's not breaking the amount of stuff he used to.

During summer evenings, Drew can be heard in the rafters howling at the moon. He can't see it from there, but he howls anyway. We leave him alone out there. It keeps him busy.